What to say when you don't want to invoke god!

We need to put together a dictionary of phrases that express our meanings without invoking god. My reason for doing this is that i don't want people to think I'm religious, so I don't want to say things like "Thank god!" or "I'll pray for you."

So I have a few, but PLEASE add your own -- maybe we can make a document or page about it. Mine are:

Saying "I'll keep you in my thoughts" instead of "I'll pray for you" because I won't. Even the Quaker "I'll hold you in the light" is better than promising to pray for someone. When I hear that someone is gravely ill, I say "I hope for the best possible outcome" which doesn't specify what that outcome is -- sometimes it's recovery, but sometimes, it's the deliverance of that person from their suffering.

"For goodness' sake!" instead of "For god's sake"

"By all that is in me" instead of "By god!" Because all I have to offer is what is in me and what I have to give.

"I am grateful" rather than "I am blessed" because maybe it's only the uncaring universe that I have to be grateful to, but gratitude is a very human emotion.Even "Thanks to the luck", because luck is a human, but not a deistic concept.

"Gezundheit" (which means "Health!") or just "To your health" instead of "god bless you" when someone sneezes. Or be like the Japanese and say nothing at all -- a sneeze isn't very meaningful in these modern days!

I dunno -- I may think up more, but I'd be VERY interested to see what other people come up with -- I KNOW there are a lot of fertile minds out there! :-)

Replies to This Discussion

Arrrgghhhhh! That Jewish heritage AGAIN!! Even the little guy who turns out my refrigerator light is named after a violinist whose mom named him Yehudi just to let the world know he was Jewish! Where does it end....??????!!!

I think we should ALL be Jewish, and then we can all go out and celebrate Tu B'shvat, the New Year of the Trees. That should keep everyone happy, except for those that don't know what a tree is. Just as good as celebrating St. Patrick's Day or Cinco de Mayo, when we're all Irish or Mexican!!! :-)

I'll second that! I'll gladly put aside my cultural amorphousness for awhile and try to experience the customs of others. I could probably learn a thing or two from that.

I think the human genetic sequence has an amazing story to tell as it has travelled the world and experienced so much and lives in every one of us. "Ethnicity" by whatever named it's called is just a way of expressing the little stops along the way of the greater journey of our species.

I'll gladly celebrate any festivity that plants a tree, honors the Earth or in some other way brings joy into our lives-genuine happiness and enjoyment are not wasted on any occasion and I'll vouch for any excuse to celebrate!

p.s. why don't you join comparative religion 101. so far all we're talking about is paganism - i'm trying to get into some real good stuff and really compare how much is the same and different in beliefs. and i am not so erudite in my "verbalities" - we need someone who

LOL umm - patrick - what little guy? i mean, do you see little elves and fairies everywhere? by the way, did your mom name you patrick just so we'd all know you were irish? OMg! you guys are everywhere! i cant get away from irish people !!!! :D my son is part irish - ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! big kiss patrick!! mwah

By the "little guy" in my fridge I was referring to the post-modern folk-fiction character "Yehudi" (the little guy in the fridge who turns off the light when you close the door). He takes his name after Yehudi Menhuin, the American born Russian Jewish violinist whose works have graced several nations since his birth in 1916 until his death in 1999. (He has been a citizen of the U.S., England and Switzerland).

As a radio talk show guest he was widely sought after and it became a common practice to anounce him as an upcoming guest, just to get folks to tune in to the show-however Menhuin, having not even been invited (or having been invited and declined) never showed up. Thus, it kind of became a running joke to refer to anyone or anything that was mysteriously absent (like the elf in the fridge) as "Yehudi".

And btw-sometimes I DO see little elves and faeries everywhere-lucky me! It's my reality, I'll invite who I want ta!

Yes, actually when I belonged to the Temple of Set, we used the CE/BCE to refer to dates in "profane" (secular or non-temple) usage and AEon of Set date (starting with 1966 as the "Year I AE. S." which originally read A.S. or "Anno Satani" by the old Church of Satan reckoning).